Tuesday’s Top 5: Trains and Train Sequences in Anime

I love a good train sequence and I know I’m not alone. There’s a reason why it is a staple of action movies and dramas alike. Trains can let the cast sit back and have those poignant conversations to catch the audience up on details and ensure that the characters can’t escape midway through, they allow for some thrilling cat and mouse, and mostly they allow for an escalated sense of drama because until they get to the next station you aren’t getting off. At least not without a few bumps and scrapes. There’s just something really fun about trains and they serve so many purposes in stories outside of just getting the characters from point A to point B.

Below are some of my favourite train sequences. When I thought of this list my main consideration was how memorable the train or train sequence was within the anime. I’d love to know your favourites so leave a comment below.

Please note, there will be spoilers below.

Honourable Mention: Full Metal Alchemist – It is amazing how much exposition takes place while the characters are on the various trains travelling around the country.

Number 5: Fairy Tail

Okay, the train in Fairy Tail has a number of purposes. Firstly it does just get the cast from point A to B. It also allows for some bonding between team members. It’s also one of the many sources of the ongoing joke that Natsu gets motion sick. And, because it is Fairy Tail, the train and the train tracks are also the sight of a fairly intense battle sequence. Or it would have been fairly intense if the battles that came after it hadn’t completely eclipsed it. At the time when you watch it, the battle seems like a big deal. Whichever way, the train and the fight were well remembered even though its been quite awhile since I put Fairy Tail on hold and I need to get back and finish watching it at some point.

Love and Other Delusions indeed, but the scene that stands out to me more so than any other save the climax of season one is the scene where Yuuta watches Rikku do her thing and stares in amazement as the train door opens and she struts on, before realising he neglected to get on and he is now late for school. It’s a classic moment and one that really defines the relationship the two characters will carry on with for the better half of season one. So while technically not on a train, when thinking of train scenes, this one immediately came to mind.

Number 3: Spirited Away

A rare entry from an anime movie on one of my lists. I’m not the biggest fan of Spirited Away, it’s pleasant enough but it doesn’t really stick. And yet, for some reason the train scene does. It isn’t even a major point in the story as it really is just a visually pretty interlude as we move from one setting to another and stretch out the run time of a story with some striking scenery. However, it did serve its purpose and it is quite an iconic sequence.

As much as I ended up not enjoying Izetta very much as a whole, the train sequence from episode 1 was pretty brilliant. It was exciting, it got me hyped for the setting and time period of this anime, and it was actually the highlight of the entire series. Too bad it peaked in episode 1. But, it does make this train sequence one that it worth remembering because it did exactly what it needed to in grabbing the audiences’ attention.

Could there ever have been a different choice for this list? The Flying Pussyfoot is legendary and this train dominates as the setting of the most memorable of the interwoven stories in the series. So many characters have converged in a confined space with their own backstories and motives. There will be laughs, mis-understandings, and blood. So much blood before this train ride is completed. Definitely a train ride to remember even if it does take the better part of a season to see the entirety of it.

The second I saw the title, I simply knew Baccano had to be the number one choice. Although I want to rewatch it before I review it (I liked it my first time around, but since there would be large gaps in between episodes for me because of life I got even more confused) the train scenes were easily my favorite.
I was also pleasantly surprised to see Spirited Away here; I like that movie, but that scene didn’t even come to mind when I saw the title, so I was glad to see it.

I remember the train scene in spirited away was the scene that made me really think ‘this is beautiful’. The rest of the movie is lovely, don’t get me wrong, but there is something truly beautiful about that sequence and I really enjoy it.

I think it’s the fact that the movie is so crazy and almost in your face with how beautiful it is. But the train scene is calm and soothing, and just lets the beauty happen…I dunno, that may be why I find some of the “quieter” Ghibli movies to be even more beautiful than Spirited Away; they’re a more subtle form of beauty.

I’ve got to watch Baccano soon. It sounds great. But I didn’t read the train thing for spoilers.

I made a huge mistake in watching anything more than an episode of fairy tail, but I did enjoy it for a long time, the train thing was a cool funny moment.

I really thought spirited away was just boring and don’t even remember the train there. I’ve already lost half the battle when watching Ghibli films because my laptop screen has a terrible display which makes all Ghibli films look trash, I would probably enjoy the films way more if the visuals actually looked good to me since they put so much effort into them.

Baccano is really fun provided you are good with just going with it. Things come together though like most stories that try to layer things on, there’s a few inconsistencies if you start thinking too much about it. I really enjoy it.
I’m also not the biggest Ghibli fan finding the stories fairly meh. Spirited Away is an exception and I really enjoy that movie for some reason.

Hmm…this is tough for me, but maybe the sequence in Wolf’s Rain. In a way it introduced us to a main character in a grim light, but I think that serves it’s purpose of showing just how desperate people are in getting what they want in that world. It’s desolate, cold, and (in my opinion) the small fight sequence on the approach to and on the train worked well with setting the world up, even if it seemed like a minor point.